As I’m sure many will be aware, there’s been a bit of a media war-of-words developing over the last few days, regarding Robert du Preez’s decision to not select Bok hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle for the Currie Cup semi-final and final.

I’m not going to link to the original article here. Those who are interested will find any number of summarised versions on the usual sites, since the original is behind a paywall. Sunday Times journalist Khanyiso Tshwaku wrote the piece in the aftermath of the final, alleging that Ralepelle had taken the coach to task after he wasn’t selected for the showpiece games. Allegations were made, many of them spurious and unprovable due to anonymous sources, with the intent seemingly to smear du Preez’s selection policies and management style in the eyes of the reader.

The Sharks hit back yesterday with a somewhat of a sledgehammer rebuttal on their own website. Again, I’ll not link to it but you can find it easily enough if you want to read it. In the unfolding game of “he said, she said”, the official release leaves no doubt whatsoever that, in the mind of du Preez and the Sharks, the blame is to be laid squarely at Ralepelle’s door. If the original piece was intended to besmirch du Preez’s character, then the reply is nothing short of all-out assassination of Ralepelle’s good name, which is both unfortunate and rather distressing.

Normally, I would be tempted to take sides here, but in this case, the whole incident seems so sordid and unnecessary that I do not want to touch it with a bargepole. Tshwaku’s article was petty, rather nasty, and smacked of hidden agenda. The Sharks’ reply was ridiculously heavy-handed and paints the picture of a dictatorship, rather than a family, where to step out of line means being shot – openly, publicly, and with both barrels.

We deserve better than this. We really do. Gary Teichmann, please show some leadership here and make a plan to FIX whatever is going on here. Families don’t tell tales in the press. Families don’t knife one another in public. Get a grip.

95 Comments

Hear, hear.

Comment 1, posted at 07.11.17 10:22:21 by NielRoss

I personally have no problem with the way Sharks management reacted to the situation. Sunday Times most probably took the situation out of proportion, yes, but someone had to plant a seed. And who would that be? We don’t need spoilt brats in this sport. The political interference is already a sensitive topic, so why the need to run to the media?

Comment 2, posted at 07.11.17 10:23:52 by boertjie101

I’ll go with Chilli being the shit stirrer here ….. he was pissed off and decided to cause a thing. Bad past – bad for life player, imo. Reading that Sharks press release comes across nothing like anything dictatorial, I mean:

“Our players know that there is an open door policy at The Sharks and should there be any grievances they are most welcome to address those concerns with our senior management who are always willing and available to engage constructively.”

Doesn’t exactly come across as secretive and heavy handed does it. Given the current climate in this country, of course the Times article will try make up bullshit. A problem would be more than one entitled player trying to make waves. Five+ players and I’d believe the blame to be with the Sharks.

Comment 3, posted at 07.11.17 10:25:59 by Mephisto_Shark

@Mephisto_Shark (Comment 3) : you are making an assumption that it was Chiliboy himself who spoke to the journalist. Go read the article again and tell me if you really think that’s the case

Comment 4, posted at 07.11.17 10:30:23 by robdylan

Well true, I should have added that IF true, I would lay it at the players feet and not the Sharks, my bad.

Comment 5, posted at 07.11.17 10:32:45 by Mephisto_Shark

@Mephisto_Shark (Comment 5) : there’s more than one player who’s unhappy with the way the coach does things there.

Comment 6, posted at 07.11.17 10:40:17 by robdylan

This is unfortunately the state of journalism in SA- try be as controversial and rile people up as much as possible over nothing. This only leads to organisations like the Sharks coming out firing on the defensive. This is a non story…its professional sport and the coach picks who he believes is the best,end of story. If the Sharks had won i doubt this story would have been printed.

Comment 7, posted at 07.11.17 10:43:49 by SheldonK

@robdylan (Comment 6) : That’s true of every union though ….. difference is, someone is trying to make it come across as racial. Unhappy players need to leave tbh, not everyone will like the coach but if enough do, the upset handful need to move on to where they will supposedly be happy. The whole thing smacks of a witch hunt.

Comment 8, posted at 07.11.17 10:47:08 by Mephisto_Shark

@robdylan (Comment 6) : Only 23 fits into a match day squad – there will always be unhappy players.

Last time the players were unhappy with the coach, Smittie took their side and fired a pretty good no-nonsense coach. I doubt that Teichmann will have as much sympathy for the players

@SheldonK (Comment 7) : agree with you. It was a bloody shocking article

Comment 11, posted at 07.11.17 10:57:39 by robdylan

@Bokhoring (Comment 9) : The thing thats wrong with that story is the claim that Ralepelle was good enough to make the national team but not good enough to make the Sharks team.He wasn’t good enough to make the national team or even the bench the whole year.Marx was the number one hooker and Mbonambi rode the bench for every game.
Ralepelle played hardly any rugby since the end of the super series and nothing in the month leading up to the final .So why did he deserve to leapfrog two guys who played their hearts out to put the team in the final.
If he had any decency in him he would point that very obvious fact out to the journalist.

Comment 12, posted at 07.11.17 11:07:58 by The hound

@The hound (Comment 12) : To be fair I don’t get the impression Ngobeni even discussed the issue with Ralepelle

Comment 13, posted at 07.11.17 11:21:34 by Bokhoring

The issue is not really the selection of our 2 form hooker above Chilli. That objectively makes sense. The issue is the pattern of poor communication to fringe players that seems to be developing, as well as a Sharks statement taking pot shots at the player from on high. Poor form.

Comment 14, posted at 07.11.17 11:24:18 by Big Fish

I havent read the Times article, I have read the Sharks response to it though. I have no problem with the Sharks response, in fact there is a lot in there that I like. I get from the Sharks article that there communication channels are open to all player especially fringe players and when not selected they are taken through the process of why not.

Comment 15, posted at 07.11.17 11:29:06 by Salmonoid the Subtle

@robdylan (Comment 4) : Who else spoke to the Times journalist if not Chili, did he make assumptions from his twitter feed / Facebook. I dont know becuase I never read the ST article.

Comment 16, posted at 07.11.17 11:31:28 by Salmonoid the Subtle

@robdylan (Comment 6) : Tell us some more – for someone that doesnt want to touch this with a bargepole you sure are wading in, planting your own seeds and thoughts here.

Comment 17, posted at 07.11.17 11:36:41 by Salmonoid the Subtle

The media made something out of nothing stirred a little on the sides and people easily took the bait. Of it was just ignored it would have less legs. I just hope this doesn’t turn into a race debate because that’s where all of this crap inevitably ends up.

Comment 18, posted at 07.11.17 11:37:12 by coolfusion

@Bokhoring (Comment 9) : The common thread with all these Sharks woes is…….Pretoria Boys High School old boys.

Comment 19, posted at 07.11.17 11:43:23 by Salmonoid the Subtle

@coolfusion (Comment 18) : Well on the other site where almost everything goes I was surprised to see that Chiliboy seems to be in the dogbox with ALL posters – a very rare thing over there.

Comment 20, posted at 07.11.17 11:46:20 by Salmonoid the Subtle

this whole thing sucks

we all know that you cant have three hookers all eager to start every game for more than one or two seasons, someone going to win out and one or both or the back ups will leave for another team in sa or overseas.

the best long term balance is havent a somewhat over the hill veteran, and play in his prime, and a young guy will ability to play reasonably well at that level if needed but also happy to play for the second team and learn his craft from the guys ahead of him.

We have three guys all desperate for the number 2 shirt. and all with good rugby ability in my opinion. I figured we would keep all three for at least on super rugby season.

the bok camp selection has confused me, last year they had strauss and bongi/marx as back up.

this year marx is the number one hooker with strauss gone, he earned it, but why oh why is the back up bongi/chilli only given 2min game time, even in the ozzy game in sa marx couldnt run because of leg cramp toward the end but they still didnt bring chilli on.

thats why I was saying for weeks if the boks dont rate bongi/chilli then pick bismark to start on the bench as back up if his fit. or anyone that you actually trust.

Im not taking the sharks or chilli’s side but this is sad, as its a combination of many factors, poor communication, sensationalist journalism, management styles etc etc.

come on guys, we legit look like we could go all the way next year, lets not derail it.

Comment 21, posted at 07.11.17 12:00:34 by revolverocelot

This was a rubbish story just inteded to stir up people on all sides and guess that it had the desired effect as we all talking about this story instead of the upcoming Bok test and the upcoming RWC vote

Comment 22, posted at 07.11.17 12:05:13 by SheldonK

@SheldonK (Comment 22) : Speaking about the upcoming Bok test, is Chilliboy in the squad? I presume he must be.

Love the way irresponsible journalists get away with so-called murder. Talk about context! It’s like when you are the classroom bully and you grab a victim and start rubbing his head with your knuckles. It is sure to get a reaction from the victim, bystanders and powers that be. It is the age old adage of there is not much to report so let us make something to report. This may be a simplistic view or outlook, but @robdylan you are a very clever journalist yourself and you certainly got a reaction from us.

Comment 30, posted at 07.11.17 12:58:55 by markm

@robdylan : On a lighter note, do I get promoted from Vodacom Cup player with my comment 30 or does that get me relegated to PRO 14?

Comment 31, posted at 07.11.17 13:01:51 by markm

Just to move off this silly story…did anyone else see Montpelier had Serfontein at 12 and Steyn at 13 on the weekend.

@robdylan (Comment 6) : Isn’t this par for the course though when it comes to professional sporting environments?

On a somewhat related note and this is based purely on events past, when it comes to the Sharks union’s culture, I think I prefer a slightly more heavy-handed approach. The mountain-biking/surfing to rugby ratio needs to be firmly kept in balance.

Comment 34, posted at 07.11.17 13:23:15 by vanmartin

“The mountain-biking/surfing to rugby ratio needs to be firmly kept in balance.” Hahaha

Comment 35, posted at 07.11.17 13:28:48 by Bokhoring

@SheldonK (Comment 32) : And Frans scored two tries to boot. I still think he may be a bit slow off the mark for 13 in defence.

IMO Coetzee made a huge mistake in rating Ellendig over Steyn, but that must be his WP bias bubbling up.

Comment 36, posted at 07.11.17 13:31:59 by Bokhoring

@Bokhoring (Comment 36) : What it did do with both Serfontein and Steyn in midfield is force the opposition not to shift wide too quickly as either one of them would break through. It freed up a lot of space out wide and with space out wide a big guy like Nandolo really caused problems

@SheldonK (Comment 32) : Yup. Steyn still very much a threat. And with serf in midfield. I was wondering why our genial coach hasn’t thought of this himself. Or maybe Steyn would never say yes to bok duty again.

Comment 40, posted at 07.11.17 14:27:35 by coolfusion

@coolfusion (Comment 40) : Well the last time Steyn was called up he caught serious splinters and no game time. I see Duane Vermuelen also seems to be fit again. In Sa we seem to like the smaller guys who we think are quick and creative…until they get caught or have to make a tackle

Comment 41, posted at 07.11.17 14:40:18 by SheldonK

@coolfusion (Comment 40) : Talking about Serfontein, who do you think AC will play in his place this weekend? I reckon he’s gonna go with DDA but I’m hoping he’ll give Am or Venter a shot.

Comment 42, posted at 07.11.17 14:45:10 by Quintin

@Quintin (Comment 42) : Def start DDA with Venter on the bench i reckon. Am will play vs Italty and Wales i feel. Could be wrong but going on his past selections

@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 45) : Sorta readign between the lines…AC says Pollard been training with the team for weeks and Jantjies been in Japan so he has to assess him. So yeh perhaps so i went with it

Comment 46, posted at 07.11.17 15:19:30 by SheldonK

@SheldonK (Comment 43) : @SheldonK (Comment 44) : Yeah going by past selections that will most likely be the case. DDA’s form leaves a lot to be desired though.

@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 45) : I wouldn’t mind seeing how Pollard goes but how many minutes of rugby has he played these past months, would’ve played him from the bench, but yeah I also think AC is lining him up for a start.

Comment 47, posted at 07.11.17 15:28:19 by Quintin

@SheldonK (Comment 44) : Another I’m really hoping to see is Gelant getting a solid run at FB. Not so sure however if AC will chop and change that much?

Comment 48, posted at 07.11.17 15:33:20 by Quintin

@Quintin (Comment 48) : I just get this feeling we will se Gelant on the wing.

Comment 49, posted at 07.11.17 15:50:39 by SheldonK

@SheldonK (Comment 44) : Is Coetzee over the injury he picked up in the CC semi-final against WP?

@SheldonK (Comment 56) : I thought Kwagga Smith game against the All Blacks on the weekend was the standout South African rugby player in any code or competition this year.He caused more havoc with the AB ‘s than any player for along time.
I agree with most New zealanders who can’t work out how this talent isn’t even in the Springbok squad.

on tv frans still looks to be alittle fat for his frame (mind you thats on tv) and he hasnt had much pace lately. did they line up like that for most of the game or did frans shift to 12 or first receiver through out the game.

I do rate the Montpellier coach though, did well at scotland too. seems like a smart guy.

still not sure I would play frans at outside centre but euro rugby is somewhat slow

Comment 58, posted at 07.11.17 18:11:44 by revolverocelot

@coolfusion (Comment 55) : luther Obi ? cheetahs wing ? good player still youngish, big guy, won the u20 wc with psdt, kitshoff, pollard etc. needs one consistent season with cheetahs before a bok selection.

maybe you meant jamba ulunga, his good and has bok two caps already but injuries this year derailed him.

over the past two years boks have given a few players games at wing: lyde, rhule, petersen, skosan, jamba. tough moving on from jp and habana.

I would pick Nkosi and skosan long term for the boks, rhule can be a for too once he gets his defense sorted.

looks like we will likely lose kobus van wyk to a euro term eventually cause I cant see him or obi
breaking into the bok side, but then again he did spend a year at Bordeaux and choose to come back to sa asap.

Comment 59, posted at 07.11.17 19:04:03 by revolverocelot

@The hound (Comment 57) : Kwagga def is an interesting one. He did do well on the weekend…but he does also thrive more when he is able to combine with big line breaking loose forwards.

Comment 60, posted at 08.11.17 08:01:22 by SheldonK

@revolverocelot (Comment 58) : Yeh Cruden at 10. Steyn and Serfontein took it a lot a first reciever with Cruden playing behind them to distribute wider. I agree that Steyn does look like he is carrying a few kgs but he also always been a bulkier guy even at school.

Comment 61, posted at 08.11.17 08:03:47 by SheldonK

@revolverocelot (Comment 59) : Ja it may be personal opinion but I think Obi is class his workrate and defense will get him there. I think of him as a young Odwa maybe he won’t make bok. But it will be a keegan daniel story being overlooked. There are many such stories. Van Wyk probably same thing. Even lambie although he got caps was for the most part an overlooked talent same with Goosen.

Comment 62, posted at 08.11.17 14:26:37 by coolfusion

@coolfusion (Comment 62) : Must admit i thought Obi had huge potential when i saw him play for SA u20s. I did watch him vs Connaught though and their wing made him look very average

Comment 63, posted at 08.11.17 15:13:18 by SheldonK

@SheldonK (Comment 63) : Not slagging the cheetahs but he would probably do better at a stronger union. The Connaght game he was doing a huge amount of heavy lifting to me Mapimpi did way less in the overall game.

Comment 64, posted at 08.11.17 15:49:59 by coolfusion

@coolfusion (Comment 64) : And I know mapimpi scored the try. But that’s finishing. Not all the hard graft.

Comment 65, posted at 08.11.17 16:04:35 by coolfusion

@coolfusion (Comment 64) : Mapimpi does know how to find the tryline which is very important. For me obi hasnt progressed since u20s. Think perhaps wrong career moves but i dont know the full story and what else was on offer so harsh to judge. Surprised he never looked at 7s route, maybe his handling isnt the best. but i would think he could be good at 7s

Comment 66, posted at 08.11.17 16:06:53 by SheldonK

@SheldonK (Comment 66) : Which is why I think he will do better on a better support team around him. Cheetahs are almost always a all or nothing game. That’s a lots of stress to shine under.

Comment 67, posted at 08.11.17 16:09:02 by coolfusion

@coolfusion (Comment 67) : I think he was at the Bulls or Lions but didnt last long there.

@coolfusion (Comment 63) : I am also a fan of Obi and I hope he can still make it to the boks but so many good players are ahead of him, but this is his chance at the cheetahs, he had a bad hand with moving to the kings at the wrong time and then getting stuck behind so many good players at the cheetahs and bulls, he was at the leopards to start with. his only 24 keeps his health on par he could have a decade more in the game, look at odwa.

Ok I know he is up and coming but guys serious where has he stood out this year, In my view Mapimpi and Nkosi is head and shoulders ahead of other wings this year, and we have both.

Comment 71, posted at 08.11.17 19:57:45 by sharks_lover

@sharks_lover (Comment 72) : see the thing is I rate both nkosi and mapimpi better than obi (wan kanobi ) right now too, but at 24 im not righting the kid off, his still got potential, he seems to have a good head on his shoulders. and remember nkosi is younger than him at 21 and mapimpi is old than him at 28.

So all we are really doing is acknowledging a really good athlete, and that doesnt take away from anyone else.

also we outlined that we all think that it will be tough for him to actually become a bok.

since the last world cup we have giving starts at wing to a few players and many of them are still in the mix, even jamba ulunga for me would have likely been in bok mix this year if it had not been for his injury, not to mention travis Ishmael, that kid is insanely fast for someone that big (hopefully he gets up skilled by mitchell) etc etc, so much talent in sa, rugby players are one of our biggest exports.

Comment 72, posted at 08.11.17 21:46:19 by revolverocelot

@revolverocelot (Comment 72) : Agreed and so much talent and so much slipping through the cracks too.

Comment 73, posted at 09.11.17 06:40:04 by coolfusion

@revolverocelot (Comment 72) : I hear you, but i also see youngsters but i also see so many youngsters become cult hero’s before they have actually achieved anything, When Wan Kanobi sets the world on fire i will become a fan,

A good example of to much hype is Bosch, and in my view even as a fan of his I believe until he can tackle his game will go nowhere.

I know our esteemed Bok coach tells the world a 10 does not really have to be that good defensively but then again in my view our esteemed coach is a moron. this is not 1980′s, it is 2017 and everyone in a team has to be a good defender, but hey then again I am not the esteemed Bok coach

Point being though mate I will sing Obi’s praises when he becomes as predicted.

Comment 74, posted at 09.11.17 09:00:48 by sharks_lover

I work in advertising and pr, and time & time again, I shudder at the amateurishness of the Sharks PR machine.

Comment 75, posted at 09.11.17 09:20:08 by The Great Couch Shark

@SheldonK (Comment 63) : He did get burned by the winger, though in fairness, that ball went out wide with very quick hands, and with the pace that guy has, he was going to burn most wings with raw pace.

Comment 76, posted at 09.11.17 09:26:36 by KingCheetah

@coolfusion (Comment 73) : I see Volminck has signed for the Kings. Another that hasn’t quite reached the potential he promised. I am also keen to see the Nguckana wing from WP on the senior circuit. He was good for he Junior boks. Agree on Ismael and Ulengo. A lot to work with there.

I am sending a wish list to the suits at the Cheetahs to give Kyle Steyn a loan contract. He has shown a lot of promise.

Comment 77, posted at 09.11.17 09:28:45 by KingCheetah

@KingCheetah (Comment 76) : Obi did look to get in a bad position to tackle a few times, kinda tried to show the guy the line when he could hav fronted on and come up ad made the hit. I was more suprised to hear it was that Connaught wingers first game- he looked very dangerous

Comment 78, posted at 09.11.17 11:10:23 by SheldonK

@KingCheetah (Comment 77) : Volminck another of those with huge talent but been injured a lot. I do rate Ismael but also he needs to stay fit and play, guess same with Ulengo-although i dont think Ulengo can tackle. A bit out of left field but i think a guy like Tim Agaba should play wing…big tall and strong and has decent enough pace. He doesnt seem to like the rough stuff enough to make it really as a loosie

Comment 79, posted at 09.11.17 11:13:01 by SheldonK

@SheldonK (Comment 79) : Talking of flankers that have the pace of wings. I really do like those Lions players. The winger Aphiwe Dyanti, and that industrious flanker Dayimani. Man that bloke has pace to burn.

Comment 80, posted at 09.11.17 11:54:30 by KingCheetah

@KingCheetah (Comment 80) : Those two do have pace…although a flank needs to be effective in the contact etc for me to rate them. A lot of young flanks just want to carry the ball but arent interested in the other stuff

Comment 81, posted at 09.11.17 11:59:14 by SheldonK

@The Great Couch Shark (Comment 75) : Generally speaking I agree with that statement but with this release I, as a fan, got a very clear message of the process in place, what is expected from all involved, what the Sharks vision and expectations are etc. As a pro how could they have addressed this in a better way.

Comment 82, posted at 09.11.17 12:03:57 by Salmonoid the Subtle

@SheldonK (Comment 79) : Although he got a yellow card in the Semi,kinda thought Agaba had a blinder that day,he was everywhere,always looking for work and to disrupt,but thats just the way I saw it…

Comment 83, posted at 09.11.17 12:48:43 by BarendL

@BarendL (Comment 83) : He was quite industrious but not very accurate in what he did. That yellow was plain stupid and Mitchell must have been furious. I still think he could be a real handful as a wing looking for work…dotn know if he can kick though and wings need that ability

Comment 84, posted at 09.11.17 12:57:59 by SheldonK

@SheldonK (Comment 84) : Valid points,although I felt he was always in our way in some way or the other,think there are currently a lot of standout wings in SA,so probably not my preference,although I tend to not think of forwards moving outside,think he is a player that likes to have the ball,so might tend to get caught out of his position out wide?

Comment 85, posted at 09.11.17 13:18:07 by BarendL

@BarendL (Comment 85) : Yeh look its very unlikely he will move to wing. He does seem to roam and just be all over the place…not sure how his team mates feel about that though as he may get in their way or they may need to cover for him when he does roam.

Comment 86, posted at 09.11.17 14:46:25 by SheldonK

@KingCheetah (Comment 77) : Ja he and Skosan fell out of favour at about the same time. Only Skosan worked his way back in and Volminck never got a long enough run to do so. He should maybe have made his move earlier while his value was till high enough and ended up at a more settled union.

Comment 87, posted at 09.11.17 17:32:13 by coolfusion

Having stayed far away from this issue and re reading the rules here I think I can finally comment a few days later, less angry and with every chance nobody will even see my comment.

The sharks in the past have not been shy to include they returning boks on mass and lose they knock out game so chili being left out when you look at it that way is understandable. That is until you see robs son was included.

I don’t feel it’s only chili that feels a certain way about the selection policy and each time iv seen sharks players in person with other sharks players it’s usually an us and them situation in terms of a certain quality we have no control over. What I mean by that is that the sparrows hang out with the sparrows and the doves hang out with the doves.
Of course I could be reading to much into that but it’s hard not to notice.

I have said in the past on this site how I feel the sharks don’t give the same amount of opportunity to certain players. An e.g of this is the hadebe and Maria’s thing. Marias had a shit ton more opportunities then hadebe even though they were equally shit in the beginning. But hadebe was thrown to the way side while Marias continued to be shit but was played until he improved. (mind you his still shit)

Another case is tera and Dan, Dan had shit handling but was given a chance to get better and tera hardly gets a look in anymore even though he brings in something different. There are other examples but I will only use those two.

I won’t even mention how AM had to move to Kings to get a look in, why we’re we not the ones to play him and give him a chance?

The sharks have a track record of treating players differently instead of equally, equal chances for everyone. This will only get worse now that a coach is allowed to coach his 3sons in a professional team.

I love the sharks but it’s hard not to notice these things and draw a certain conclusion in my opinion and the sharks should have behaved like a family and instead of a media reply call in the player in question to find the truth then contact ST and deal with it that way

Comment 88, posted at 09.11.17 17:48:29 by Poisy

@coolfusion (Comment 65) : Interesting points and thanks for the insight, I really hope someone from the sharks reads it cause if there really is a us and them type environment to a degree it would disappoint me.

@coolfusion (Comment 92) : lol indeed, last message was meant for poisy sorry. Never would I ever accuse you of making a meaningful contribution

Comment 92, posted at 09.11.17 21:15:30 by revolverocelot

@Poisy (Comment 89) : adding to my thoughts in comment 90. would argue that franco is not “shit”. for real I think his really good. but these things are subjective

Comment 93, posted at 09.11.17 21:18:45 by revolverocelot

@Poisy (Comment 88) : I can’t entirely agree with you on this, as a neutral, I must admit, I never followed Hadebe’s career much. As for Terra, I never did see what the Sharks faithful were raving about. As for the twins, they do fumble a lot, but also offer great physicality, which has become a hallmark, of Sharks rugby. I would rather complain, about a gem like Ginger being used as a 6, to accommodate Dan. Frankly, Terra is really CC at best.

Comment 94, posted at 10.11.17 07:38:48 by KingCheetah

@Poisy (Comment 88) : I guess as they say if everyone thought the same life would be boring. Must say i disagree with a lot you have said. Chiliboy- no team would touch him with a ten foot pole due to his doping but Sharks gave him a chance. Hadebe’s lineout throwing almost hit the scrumhalf most times and when he went back to club level he struggled to make the team there. Terra was appointed captain of the Sharks but injuries have ruined his career- he is nowhere near the player he used to be, has lost all his pace which was his asset. If the Sharks hadnt put Am in the limelight a bit he would probably still be at Border…even at the Kings he was average, only upon his return did his game really take off and he has been included. Garth April- again nobody would touch the guy but the Sharks gave him a chance and he played pretty much every CC game i think. How many other franchises have signed and included club players in there teams like Sharks did with Tythan Adams. So yes there will always be instances of where players or fans feel they arent treated fairly…but there are 2 sides to a coin as well